Trade Adjustment Act Guidelines

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A Roadmap for WARNed and Laid-off Trade Adjustment Act Employees

What is the Trade Act?

Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA) is a federally funded employment program that assists workers whose jobs have been impacted by foreign imports.  Certified workers may be eligible to receive one or more of the following services: reemployment services, job search allowances, relocation allowances, a health coverage tax credit (HCTC), and training, if required for an individual to obtain suitable employment.

Online information on the Trade Act can be found at: http://fortress.wa.gov/esd/portal/training/laidoff/taa_html

If you need training to obtain employment, what do you need to do?

1. Build a Training Plan
   • Review Training Program Performance data at: http://www.JobTrainingResults.org
   • Explore Training Options at: http://www.wtb.wa.gov/etp
   • Examine local demand for occupations at: http://www.workforceexplorer.com and http://www.wilma.org/wdclists
   • Meet with a Worker Retraining Coordinator at Cascadia Community College.  Contact 425.352.8132 or email retrain@cascadia.edu


2. Get Approval for Unemployment Benefits While Training (Required)
   • If you will be attending school and want to continue collecting Unemployment Insurance you MUST get approval from the Employment Security Department. This approval is called Commissioner Approved Training or CAT.  CAT information is available online at: http://fortress.wa.gov/esd/portal/unemployment/benefits/claimskit/c/
   • Apply for CAT by contacting your local WorkSource and attending a CAT Workshop if available.


3. Obtain Funding for Your Training
   • Apply to Trade Act (TAA) by contacting your local WorkSource: http://www.wa.gov/esd/work/localconnections.htm
   • IAM/QTTP Education Assistance (for IAM represented members only): www.iam-boeing.com

Where can you apply for Unemployment Insurance (UI) Benefits?

• By telephone through the Unemployment Claims TeleCenter:

1.800.362.4636

TDD 1.800.365.8969

• Online at: http://www.go2ui.com

If you need help looking for work, where can you go?

• Any local WorkSource: http://www.wa.gov/esd/employment.html
• Community or Technical Colleges – Career/Job Centers
• Career Transition Centers (Boeing only): http://www.boeing.com/companyoffices/empinfo/wfreduction/index.html

Resources

Online information on Training Benefits: http://fortress.wa.gov/esd/portal/training/laidoff/trainingbenefits_html

Online information on the Trade Act and CAT/TB for laid-off Boeing employees: http://www.wa.gov/esd/boeing

Employment Security Department Unemployment Insurance Benefits for Laid-Off Boeing Workers: http://www.wa.gov/esd/ui/policy_guide/Boeing

Additional re-employment services for laid-off Boeing employees at: http://www.reachingout-washington.com

Rev 07/19/05